Saturday, August 14, 2010

(Note: I usually try to focus on only the positive aspects of nature in order to stir a feeling of awe and respect in a world where it seems vastly forgotten in our daily lives --- this post is not in the usual pattern but I was so moved I wanted to share...)*Today I was pulling invasive Kudzu vines from the side of the road to make baskets with, when I walked back to my truck and loaded the vines in I had a strong urge to go down into the large beautiful creek below and play in the water. The ledge to get down there was somewhat steep and I held on tight to strong tree saplings - when something caught me off guard. Trash. Tons of fucking trash carelessly and selfishly thrown over the side of the road, strewn about the bank of the creek and in the water! (see pic up top)

The closer I got to all the bags of trash and realized the vastness and quantity that had been thrown overboard in sheer ignorance - the more sick I was. Not cause it was just rotten and gross, not cause of the smell, not cause the the bottles of chemicals that were seeping into the soil - but because i was heart sick, sick in a way so deep into my soul that I started crying.

I tried thinking of the different types of people in the world objectively (to help me stay calm).... that there were three types of people in this situation:

The people who litter.

The people who notice the litter and are appauled.

The people who see the litter and clean it up even though it's not theirs.

I used to be in the second group. But seeing this pushed me into the third group... I plan on going back this week with gloves and bags to clean this shit up. Anyone want to come?

I wanted to yell at who ever did this, and the only way to begin to stop hating the stupid mutha' F*cker was to tell myself this was some poor old man who didn't know any better- but I am gonna say to anyone who has eyes, anyone who breathes, anyone who walks the earth, anyone who lives surrounded in nature as we do in this rural part of the mountains....

How in the name of fuckin' gawd could ANYONE think it is alright to dump your household trash into creeks, water, life force ---- HOW can the stark contrast between the beauty of nature and the garbage not be seen? I think it's impossible unless this poor person who dumped this trash is BLind... in which case they shouldn't be driving on curvy mountain roads carrying bags of garbage.

What is even sicker, is our local dump is only a few more miles down the road and is open a few days a week! There was no way me or any other person who stopped there to admire the power and grace of Spring Creek was going to touch that water with detergents and who knows WTF shit sitting in it.

I felt the very spirit of human history cry - this is only a small example of the HUGE amounts of trash we are making, disposing. The even deeper thought that eventually occured to me through my tears and anger, was once we bring this trash to the proper dump - it simpley goes into landfills and continues to be destructive.

*

People, we have GOT TO reduce the amount of trash we are creating! We have to stop buying things, giving into the modern push, stop keeping up with the freakin' JOnes'es over at the local walmart, filling up your houses and garages with things eventually meant for the 'trash'- stop buying so much packaged unfresh foods, so many plastic products!!

Get a life, and start learning how to make things, learn some DIY skillz, learn about upcycling, learn how to repair your shoes instead of buy new ones, thrift shop and stop supporting slave labor industries, stop dumping toxic chemicals down your drains and lathering that shit on your skin, THEN get off the internet and go take a walk in the woods and remember that without our natural resources we are dead. Literally. No clean water = no life for humans. And humans are a beautiful part of the natural world.

(btw- click on the pic below for leslie's mad face bigger and more real. )

This kind of thing sickens me to my stomach. I'd be out there helping you if not for the fact that this week is going to be absurdly busy for me. Still want to come see you soon though.

It is exactly things like this that have pushed a huge lifestyle change for my husband Jason and I. For a while we were part of that cycle (though not litterers, ever!) of consumption and disposal, and to a degree we still are, but we have gotten our trash output waaaayyy down and still working on getting better. The absurdity of throwing things away when there is no "away" is so frustrating (as is flushing good drinking water down the toilet, but that's a whole other topic!)

This was common practice where we live and it's hard to change old habits. You can sometimes ID the person by going through the trash and finding a bill or envelope or something with the name/address. Then notify the authorities so they can verify and levy the fine.

I do have a friend (you would like her)...she started off in a teepee and now lives in a Firefox cabin...she returns the beer cans to their owners....in large bags on their lawns...she is a nite person. Well, she doesn't anymore cause the can't run fast anymore...teehee...I grew up in a family of picker upers...

I too despise this practice, as a police officer in the catskill state park, located in NY, (which is all carry in - carry out) a lot of tourists visit here, have second homes here and just don't have trash pick up and dump their trash wherever they see fit. Most times you see me picking up and rooting through their household garbage and learning their names through a letter or two. After finding that they are usually charged and suffer the consequences of a hefty fine. I just hope that they learn their lesson and stop destroying our watershed.